The director of the National Weather Service, Thodoris Kolydas, explains the rare Fire Rainbow phenomenon that appeared in some areas of Greece on Wednesday.

As Mr. Kolydas says Fire Rainbow “is neither a rainbow nor does it have anything to do with fire”.

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“Its scientific name is ‘circumhorizontal arc’ and it occurs when the sun has risen to a height of more than 58 degrees above the horizon. The formation of these arcs requires the existence of thusanomorphic clouds (Ci) which are formed at higher altitudes and consist of hexagonal crystals,” he adds:

“With ideal alignment, the crystals act as a prism, hence the rainbow-like refraction. The second photo in the afternoon, with the two parallels.”

The post by Theodore Kolydas:

ΤΟ ΣΠΑΝΙΟ “FIRE RAINBOW”
Σε ορισμένες περιοχές σήμερα εμφανίστηκε ένα σπάνιο φαινόμενο το οποίο είναι γνωστό ως «fire rainbow». Όμως αυτό ούτε είναι ουράνιο τόξο ούτε έχει σχέση με φωτιά. Η επιστημονική ονομασία του είναι «circumhorizontal arc» και συμβαίνει όταν ο ήλιος έχει… pic.twitter.com/S2PFW20dS4

— Theodoros Kolydas (@KolydasT) May 8, 2024